


and if i may (just take your breath away)

by jophieso



Category: Iron Man (Movies), Marvel Cinematic Universe, The Avengers (Marvel Movies), The Avengers (Marvel) - All Media Types
Genre: Bisexual Bucky Barnes, Bisexual Tony Stark, Bucky Barnes Needs a Hug, Dancing, M/M, Making Out, Making out like teenagers, Slow Dancing, Tony Stark Has A Heart, Tony Stark Needs a Hug, they love each other okay
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-07-22
Updated: 2018-07-22
Packaged: 2019-06-14 07:54:47
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,068
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/15384174
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/jophieso/pseuds/jophieso
Summary: Bucky thanked Tony and took a small sip, leaning against the counter as Tony walked around it and stood next to Bucky. “So, Buckaroo, if you don’t like the parties, do you still like the dancing?” Tony questioned, trying to hide his ulterior motive.Bucky shrugged. “I love dancing, long as it’s not a random person looking for a hook-up. Like Steve always says in that cheesy story about Peggy,” Tony smiled at the memory, it being a story she often told Tony while he was growing up. At the exact same time, the two men finished the line. “Waiting for the right partner.”





	and if i may (just take your breath away)

Before he was the Winter Soldier, James Buchanan Barnes was quite the charmer. As Steve had said, he was able to charm the pants off of any girl, and even some guys they met back in Brooklyn. Drawling in his signature, rather flirtatious nature, he could get any girl he wanted to dance with him.

            And even seventy years later after decades of torture and brainwashing, that was still one of his favorite things to do.

            James Buchanan Barnes loved to dance.

            Though now, after everything he’d been through, it was difficult to find the time to dance. He didn’t much trust himself around large crowds unless he knew he had multiple Avengers at his side.

            Not to protect him, but to protect the guests if Bucky went haywire.

            Besides, it’s not like anyone was jumping to be the Winter Soldier’s dance partner. Sure, Natasha would dance with Bucky from time to time, the same way she’d dance with Clint and Steve and Bruce and Tony. And on occasion, a woman who was trying to charm her way into Bucky’s pants would ask for a dance, then leave with a huff of annoyance when they realized he wasn’t looking for a hook-up.

            That was another thing that changed after all those years of torture. Bucky wasn’t much of a one-night stand guy anymore. Sure, he would’ve loved to get off somehow, but after seventy years of instability and a complete lack of human intimacy? Not so much.

            He wanted something stable, something sound. Something he could come home to and recognize, not unknown faces every night and unfamiliar beds every morning.

            And a part of Bucky thought that maybe after everything, a sense of stability was too much to ask for. A stable relationship was much too large of a demand to be met for someone like him, with his past. In Bucky’s mind, he didn’t deserve the stability that his own two hands had ripped away from so many families over the decades.

***

            It was another party. Another level of the Avengers Tower, where Bucky was lucky enough to reside with his teammates, filled with thumping music and rich people sipping fancy beverages while complaining about the latest drop in the stocks or whatever rich people discussed at parties.

            Natasha and Clint had long ago disappeared onto the dance floor with hard drinks in hand, ready to dance the night away and forget about things.

            Bruce and Rhodey were seated on two barstools, nursing drinks of their own and arguing over God knows what.

            Peter and Wanda had also disappeared onto the dance floor, although it was probably to record embarrassing videos of each other and for Wanda to mock Peter about not being able to drink.

            That left the Avengers trio, who Bucky had an easy time spotting. Well, part of them, at least. Thor and Steve were easy to spot, with their signature blond locks and bulging muscles, they’d settled near a coffee table in the corner, where it seemed they were having an intense arm wrestling battle.

            From where Bucky stood, leaning against the bar and waiting on his scotch to be refilled, it was obvious that Thor was winning. He was an actual god, after all. Steve was strong, and some especially graphic pieces of literature Bucky had stumbled upon definitely used that word to describe Steve and his… assets.

            When the bartender, a younger man with bright green eyes and some hip, spiky haircut, handed Bucky his drink, the older man thanked him and began making his way over to Steve and Thor. He kept an eye out for Tony, wondering where the genius could’ve gone.

            His question is answered almost as soon as he thinks it when he catches a glimpse of Stark over by one of the towering windows. He’s standing with a tall, blond woman, though he doesn’t look the slightest bit interested. She’s laughing and throwing her head back exaggeratedly, and the action makes Bucky roll his eyes.

            Along with the eyeroll, an uncomfortable feeling roots in his chest. Jealousy? No, it can’t be. Bucky and Tony aren’t an item, they’re just friends. Bucky just has a dumb crush that Tony will probably never reciprocate, or at least that’s what he tells himself.

            When Bucky first came to the tower, he didn’t expect to have any sort of bond with Tony at all. He’d killed the man’s parents, after all. But when Tony started doing his arm maintenance, the two grew closer. And then Tony introduced Bucky to his garage of fixer-upper cars, and they began spending even more time together.

            No one expected it, but it was a welcome development. The two were able to laugh and joke with ease, no longer worried about some tension because of the past. And somewhere along the line, Bucky began to like Tony a lot more.

            As Peter would joke, Bucky “Crush” Barnes invented crushes when he tried liking Tony Stark twice at once.

            But, the former assassin pushed it away, still trying to beat into his own brain that he didn’t deserve someone like Tony, or that he didn’t deserve anyone at all. He didn’t listen to Peter’s insistence that, _“Mr. Stark really likes you too and if you asked him out he would definitely agree.”_ Even if the kid was incredibly close to the man, Bucky couldn’t convince himself that he was worth Tony’s attention.

            So, he continued on his path to Steve and Thor, trying to push down the jealously brewing in the pit of his stomach.

            Steve was straining with all of his might to just hold the God of Thunder in place, while Thor was merely letting his arm sit there. Bucky laughed at this and Steve merely glared at the man. Bucky plopped down on the cushion next to Steve.

            After a few more seconds and a cocky grin at Bucky, Thor grew bored and pushed Steve’s hand to the table, declaring his triumph over the super soldier rather loudly. Steve flushed bright red and furrowed his brow, taking another sip of his Asgardian liquor spiked drink.

            Bucky took the opportunity of the quiet moment to throw a glance back over at Tony and the unknown blonde woman. She’d moved to stand much closer to Tony, her hand with professionally manicured fingers running down his arm. The genius himself looked very uncomfortable, shifting awkwardly and taking a step back. The woman either didn’t get the message or didn’t care, as she leaned closer and placed a hand on Tony’s shoulder, whispering something in his ear.

            Bucky gripped his glass tightly. He quickly realized what he was doing and did not want to be responsible for breaking the glass and spilling his drink on his brand-new dress pants that Tony had specifically tailored for him.

***

            The woman had been nice enough at first, sure. She’d come over to Tony and started making small talk, didn’t immediately start lobbying for his money, which was a pleasant change. But it soon took a turn for the worse when she started flirting shamelessly.

            Tony had decided a while back that he was done with the whole playboy thing, the endless cycle of different faces every night just no longer providing him any comfort. At this point, he questioned if it ever did provide him comfort, or if it was just a distraction that came with a nice rush of dopamine.

            Plus, it was difficult to have one-night stands every night when he had a massive crush on Bucky Barnes, who just happened to live in the tower.

            The woman, who’d introduced herself as Lucy, placed a delicate hand on Tony’s shoulder and began running her fingers down the length of his arm. Tony furrowed his brow and took a small step back, mostly just to get away from her touch.

            Unfortunately, she didn’t let that stop her. She stepped forward again, placing the same hand on Tony’s shoulder and leaning in to whisper in his ear.

            Her breath was hot, and rather unwelcome when she spoke. “Maybe us two can get out of here, huh? I know you’ve got tricks, but I can show you some of my own.” She whispered into his ear, voice sultry, eyes blown wide with lust.

            When she pulled back to stand in front of Tony, he cocked one eyebrow at her, unimpressed with her advances. “I’m not interested, sorry sweetheart.”

            The woman looked taken aback for a moment, and then she grew angry, huffing in annoyance and stalking away, as if she had every right to sex with Tony Stark or something. That was the issue ever since Tony stopped his playboy act. People who wanted sex from Tony began to see him as an object to be used, not an actual person. It was sad, but it was true.

            Tony wasn’t shaken by the woman’s actions, however. He just rolled his eyes and took a sip of his drink, glancing up to see Bucky strolling over.

            The man looked amazing, sporting a black coat and black pants, along with a simple white dress shirt. He looked good, there was no denying that. He’d recently gotten a haircut, the big chop, so his hair was much shorter, though still long enough on the top to be styled into some fluffy swoop. Whatever it was, Tony liked it.

            Bucky flashed a smile at the man, moving to stand just where the blonde girl had been. He left his drink over by Steve and Thor, so with nothing to fidget with, the brunet opted for sticking his hands in his pockets.

            “Everything okay? That woman looked a lil’ less than friendly.” Bucky was concerned for his friend, frustrated at all the people who tried to proposition Tony like that’s all he was good for. Tony just nodded, biting his cheek.

            “Yeah, it’s fine. I’ve grown accustomed to people being assholes about that.” He shrugged as if it was nothing, accepting it as his new normal. Bucky shook his head.

            “’S not okay, for people to act like that. They should just accept the no ‘n leave.” Bucky stated, meeting Tony’s eyes. The older of the two smiled slightly and nodded, giving Bucky a look that seemed to say, _“well, what can we do.”_

            Instead of saying that though, he decided to converse with Bucky. “You enjoying the party? I know you used to be quite the charmer at these sorts of things.” Tony smirked when Bucky blushed just slightly. He was adorable like that, cheeks tinged slightly pink.

            He then proceeded to shrug, glancing around at the scene around them. “Not a bad party, I’m just not one for huge events like this after the whole HYDRA mess.” Tony was taken aback slightly by this, figuring Bucky might like the sense of normalcy.

            “Why’s that?” He inquired, almost feeling bad for dragging him to this thing.

            Bucky smiled at his concern and shrugged. “Dunno, guess I don’t really trust myself much in crowds like this anymore, unless I’ve got the Avengers around. Especially Iron Man.” Bucky winked at Tony cheekily and Tony blushed, and it’s Bucky’s turn to admire how cute he looked.

            He shed his suit jacket some time during the night, leaving him clad in, what Bucky thinks, is a really hot outfit. He’s wearing dark, charcoal colored pants and a matching waistcoat, with a black dress shirt and a blue-grey striped tie. He’d shaved that day, so he was sporting an intricately shaved goatee, and his signature, odd, kind of spiky, kind of not, hairdo.

            “Plus, I don’t have much need for charming. After everything, the one-night stands just aren’t as fulfilling as they used to be.” Bucky figured Tony could relate to this, so he didn’t have any trouble opening up. Tony merely nods in agreement, sipping his drink, a colorful martini, once again.

            “Do you wanna head up to the floor above us? There’s no one up there and that way we can still hear the music. If you wanna get away from the crowd, y’know.”

            Somehow, Tony’s small smile is both cocky and sheepish, and Bucky just finds that even cuter he nods, and is surprised when Tony extends his hand for Bucky to take it and follow him.

            They weaved through the crowd, apologizing when they needed to, somehow making it to the elevator without any drinks being spilled on them. Much to Bucky’s dismay, Tony let go of his hand when they got into the elevator, though the ascent only lasted a moment.

            The doors slid open once again, showing a much emptier room. The music from downstairs could still be heard thumping wildly, though it was muffled by the space between floors. Tony made his way behind the bar, grabbing two glasses for himself and Bucky and pouring some scotch into each one.

            Bucky thanked Tony and took a small sip, leaning against the counter as Tony walked around it and stood next to Bucky. “So, Buckaroo, if you don’t like the parties, do you still like the dancing?” Tony questioned, trying to hide his ulterior motive.

            Bucky shrugged. “I love dancing, long as it’s not a random person looking for a hook-up. Like Steve always says in that cheesy story about Peggy,” Tony smiled at the memory, it being a story she often told Tony while he was growing up. At the exact same time, the two men finished the line. “Waiting for the right partner.”

            They laughed together, and both of their hearts shared a similar fluttering sensation. The music quickly changed from a heavy thumping rhythm to something slower, sweeter. Tony smiled at the familiar melody, extending his hand to Bucky. “May I have this dance?” He smirked at the former assassin, watching as he was taken aback.

            The lyrics began and then Bucky recognized the song, one Wanda had shown him a few weeks back. It was _Can’t Help Falling in Love._ Bucky’s heart burst with excitement, and he was sure he turned many different shades of pink.

            The younger man took Tony’s hand and let him guide him away from the bar. Tony placed his left hand on the small of Bucky’s back, tugging him close. Bucky did the same, relishing in having the feeling of this man so close to him.

            Their right hands met almost instinctively, their fingers intertwining as if it was the most natural thing they’d ever done.

            They swayed, listening to the muffled tone of the music. Bucky’s heart was beating wildly, blood rushing to his ears and turning them a bright red color. Tony’s were the same, though more of his face was a slight shade of pink. The two men held each other close, savoring the moment, savoring each other.

            Bucky’s mind was rushing. Did he need to say it? Did he need to confess to Tony now, or could he just kiss the man and start cuddling him and do all the things he’d only dreamed about?

            Tony tucked his head next to Bucky’s neck, his warm breath causing goosebumps to rise on Bucky’s body. The shorter of them noticed this and smirked slightly, knowing his affections were not misplaced. When the last two lines rang out, Tony pulled back and met Bucky’s gorgeous blue eyes.

            “Tony…” Bucky’s voice was barely above a nervous whisper.

            _For I can't help falling in love with you_

_For I can't help falling in love with you_

            Tony gently pressed his lips to Bucky’s, the taller man almost sighing into his mouth before returning the gesture. At first it was all lip, just like a first kiss should be. Sweet, innocent, even.

            But after a few moments[ the music downstairs](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ulPM1Z3_Buo) changed to a muffled thump, the lyrics barely able to be made out. Tony removed his hand from Bucky’s grasp and looped them around Bucky’s neck, immediately angling his head to deepen the kiss more.

            Bucky ran his tongue along Tony’s lip, asking permission to enter. He nearly smirked into the kiss when the genius groaned, his mouth falling open and allowing Bucky access. Both of their hearts were practically beating in their throats, due to the wave of new sensation. Both men were glad that the time to do this had finally come.

            “I’ve wanted to do this for so long, you have no idea.” Bucky murmured against Tony’s lips as he took over dominance, backing the two up against the wall.

            Bucky never thought that’s how this night would end up, the two of them making out like teenagers pressed against the wall. But he wouldn’t have it any other way, grinning internally as Tony sighed when Bucky began to pepper kisses over the man’s jawline.

            “I’ve got some idea.” Tony retorted before grabbing Bucky’s head again, locking their lips together once more. They were both breathless, pulling away every few seconds to take in large gulps of air.

            Then, unexpectedly, the song slowed down and quieted. It was still there, but it grew more mellow, and somehow, so did the kiss. Bucky pulled back and rested his forehead against Tony’s, both of them panting and trying to inhale the same small amount of air that was between them. Tony’s hands were placed firmly on Bucky’s hips, while Bucky’s were splayed out on the wall behind them on either side of Tony’s head.

            “Tony is this more than a hook-up?”

            Tony gulped, hoping Bucky was thinking the same thing he was. “Yeah, it’s more than a hook-up.” His words were breathless, stilling in the air as the song ended with the same, repeating melody. It was still bass-heavy, but the mood had changed to something much more genuine and passionate.

            Bucky moved his hands from where they’d rested against the wall to cup Tony’s very warm cheeks, pulling him in for another kiss. This one was just as passionate, though it was less about lust and more about, well, love, even if the two men weren’t ready to say it.

            “I want this to be a lot more than a hook-up, Barnes.”

            And Bucky agreed, thanking whatever higher power there was that this had happened. He’d deal with the logistics of his and Tony’s combined insecurities later, he’d deal with the inability to be much fun at any parties thing later.

            Right now, Bucky had Tony. And that was all he could ask for.

**Author's Note:**

> The title was inspired by Sweater Weather by The Neighborhood. I got inspired for this one-shot while listening to "Sweater Weather but you are in a bathroom at a party." Please leave kudos and comments they make me happy<3.


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